Venus Fly Trap
by BlackSpark
Summary: Responsibility is a great burden-but since the incident with Katarina, Minako has had one more to bear. Her own thoughts. It's a question of desire or duty, a choice we all make in our lives. But then again, Minako is known to come through in the end...


A/N: Hey guys. This is my first fic in the SM fandom. Dubbed, it was the first anime I ever saw, and luckily I got my hands on the 1st season subbed and uncut for my birthday. This takes place shortly after episode 42. Reviews are greatly appreciated, especially constructive criticism.

**Venus Fly Trap******

**By BlackSpark**

Beauty comes with a price.

That's what they say, right? Then again, I've never been too good with proverbs or sayings, so maybe I've got it wrong again.

Either way…maybe it really is true. Being Sailor Venus, a warrior named after the planet of love and beauty, I should know this the best of all…shouldn't I?

It's like a Venus Fly Trap. They're rarely found around here, but I've seen pictures of them. Sometimes they have these delicate, pretty flowers on them, no more than an inch wide. Maybe that's what attracts all those bugs to them. They spot these colorful, little petals and fly over.

The next thing they know, they've fallen right into a trap.

The only way to weaken the plant is to cut off the flowers…and to just let them die, I suppose. I guess you could look at it as sacrificing one thing for another. I wonder if that's how my life will turn out.

Ever since the incident with Katarina, I've been thinking a lot. I think Artemis had an idea of what was going through my head, despite the fact that I usually don't talk about these sorts of things to others. He simply threw me one sympathetic glance and said, "It's not your fault, Minako."

But was it? If we hadn't been so close, she might never have been targeted. What if it _was_ because of me that she was put in danger? What if it really is my fault? What if I'm putting all the people I care about in danger just by being near them?

Am I destined to be alone?

You could almost compare it to the Venus Fly Trap. Anyone who gets close to me would be put in danger almost immediately; they would always be a target. Cut me off and they're safe; they're free from danger, but the only time I can see them again is on the sidelines.

It's like what they say: "Even the prettiest roses wither away." At least, I think that's how it goes.

Maybe I'm thinking too much about this. I'm sure Usagi and the others have thought the same things I have.

But part of me can't help but wonder if I _will _be the flowers leading the innocent into a trap.

Or if I'll somehow become the plant myself.

* * *

"Hey, Minako, over here!"

I turned around to spot Usagi waving just a few feet away, Rei, Ami, and Mako gathered around her. Usagi had her usual cheerful expression plastered on her face and I greeted her with a smile.

We had all planned to meet at the mall that day and Artemis had seemed glad I was going out and doing something.

"That should be good for you," He had said, lying down next to me on my bed.

"Why do you say that?"

I guess I wasn't convincing, or maybe it's because Artemis knows me too well. I may not the most perceptive girl in the world, but I could still tell what he was saying with the look he threw me: _You and I **both** know why._

And to be honest, I was glad to get some fresh air after spending so much time thinking. Getting out really _is_ good when you're feeling stressed. And best of all, it was a nice sunny day, and the only clouds in the sky were pure white and puffy and didn't block out the rays of the sun.

Usagi tilted her head to the side, kind of looking at me questionably. "Minako, you look pretty tired, are you okay?"

"Nah, I'm fine." I waved my hand to dismiss her thought, widening my smile. "I just woke up late, so I'm still a little tired. You should know that feeling, ne, Usagi?"

Rei snickered, but Usagi knows me well enough that I didn't mean it as a mean thing (as did Rei). Instead, she grumbled something about her brother as we began to start walking.

"Shingo thought it would be funny to test out his new alarm clock on me!" Usagi pouted, folding her arms over her chest. Ami laughed a little, in that pleasant way of hers. Ami's like that. She could be laughing at something you said but you would never get mad at her. You'd just know she didn't mean any offense.

"There _will_ be a time when you'll have to wake up early, when you grow up and get a job." Ami pointed out good-naturedly. You can't stay young forever."

"Maybe not, but I do plan on enjoying my youth when I can, and life is too short to let some pesky younger brother ruin it!" Usagi punched her fist in the air like it was a cry of triumph, Rei sighing and the rest of us laughing in response. "Really though, he's so annoying, like a…a bug! I wish I had a big can of bug spray, or, or, a big fly swatter, or....or…"

It was then I began sort of…dazing off, I guess. Usagi's words just started blending together and fading away until I didn't really hear them anymore. I began thinking about something, something I had tried to get my mind off of…

Maybe I keep too many things inside sometimes. But I don't like to worry people; I like to make them smile, laugh. I like to make them happy. I'm afraid if I say too much I might trouble them, which is the last thing I'd intend to do.

_I should just stop thinking so much and just enjoy myself. It's pointless to waste a good day. And besides, if this goes on, my thoughts will end up eating me up like…_

"A big Venus Fly Trap."

I blushed as everyone turned to look at me, eyebrows raised. _Oops, did I say that out loud? _I inwardly groaned. _You're so absent minded, Minako._

"Where did that come from?" Rei asked, tilting her head to the side. "Usagi stopped listing things to kill her brother with a little over a minute ago." She eyed her with a mischievous smile crossing her face. "She's quite a kind sister, isn't she?"

Usagi opened her mouth, face turning red. "Hey-!"

Mako nodded, interjecting before an argument started. "Yeah, Rei's right, you seemed pretty spaced out."

"It's nothing." I giggled nervously, trying to shake suspicion off of me. "I guess I wasn't paying much attention. I can get distracted pretty easily."

"You're not the only one." Rei said with a wink. I giggled again, this time more genuinely. _She must mean Usagi._

"Hey...a Venus Fly Trap is actually a great idea! Slow and torturous!" Usagi laughed (maybe cackled is the better description), most likely picturing her brother's demise.

"Perhaps," Ami said, smiling along with the rest of us, "but you would never do it, Usagi. You're too kind for that."

And so we walked on through the streets, talking and laughing, enjoying ourselves like normal teenagers would. And no one questioned me about my random outburst again.

Though I couldn't help but notice Mako turning to stare at me every once in a while.

* * *

I was staring at a pretty necklace in one of my favorite stores when Mako pulled me aside.

We had all split up by then; Usagi had dragged Rei to some other store and Ami went off to the bookstore, saying she'd "been itching for a good book to read for a while." So, that left me and Mako together.

The necklace I was looking at _was_ nice. Though the ornament on it might seem like a simple diamond star at first, if you looked at it from another angle, you'd see a fragment of color reflecting off its surface. I turned it over in the sunlight to see it glitter and throw rainbow onto the walls when Mako tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hey…can I talk to you for a minute? You don't have to if you don't want to, but I've noticed you've been out of it ever since that fight from a few days ago."

She did look honestly concerned, but I still was reluctant to say anything. Like I said before, I usually keep my emotions bottled up inside; I don't like to trouble others with my problems.

"It's…nothing. I've just been thinking a lot lately, that's all."

Mako nodded understandably. "I think we all have. Things can get a little tough sometimes…but I know we all can do it. And that goes for you, too. We're_ all_ important in our team; we all have our roles."

I smiled at her gratefully. _Mako's can be really kind. She's there when you need her, but she'll never pry._ "Thanks, Mako."

"Ah, it's no problem, really! You can talk to me anytime."

Needless to say, I felt much better after Mako said those things. The two of us just kind of smiled at each other until, er… a loud noise from outside distracted us.

"USSAAGGII!!!"

"STOP BEING SO MEAN TO ME!"

A big _whoosh_ passed through the streets, a streak of yellow, then black, passing by the store doors. The wind chimes outside began to ring against each other harder, until the yelling decreased and eventually faded. Me and Mako exchanged glances.

"Was that…?"

"Yeah. I think it was."

We looked at each other, unsure of how to react at first. And then we just started laughing, shaking our heads.

"You know, for all the fighting they do, Usagi and Rei _do_ care a lot for each other deep down. It's like that saying…uh…" I searched my mind for the answer, scratching my head. "Oh! 'The more like sisters two people are, the more they get along!"

Mako laughed nervously. "Actually, it's 'the more two people fight, the better friends they are."

_Oops._

But that didn't dampen my day one bit. Though on the way home (after making sure Usagi and Rei were still alive), I couldn't help but wonder…

_What's my role meant to be?_

* * *

Beauty comes with a price.

That's what they say (and I know now for sure that I'm not wrong).

But doesn't everything? Is there really anything we can get without sacrificing a little?

Maybe I can't afford to get too close to people. Maybe I'm meant not to. And I might just be okay with that.

If it means keeping my loved ones safe, I'll do whatever it takes. Having them, even at a distance, is better than not having them at all.

Sure, some things have to be sacrificed. Just like the Venus Fly Trap flowers, when you think about; they're sacrificed to keep others alive and safe, but they can still be replanted. They still have a chance to grow and shine in the sun.

And I still have a chance to shine like my own star.

And I have Usagi, Mako, and the others now…I have them to protect. It's my responsibility to help fight along with them. It's now up to me to mature and let go of some things in order to perform my duty. But it's not like I'll lose it all; I'll still have amazing friends that I'll try to help till the end, I'd do anything for these guys. And I'll still try to live life the best way I can.

Maybe there'll be a time when all of this is over where things can be normal again. Maybe there won't be. But either way, I'll be happy. It's not so much my role as it is the person I am.

Because if the ones I care about are happy…then that's all that really matters to me.

Owari


End file.
